GAGGLES of smokers can make for a somewhat miserable sight at the entrances to the Burnie hospital. Banned from the hospital grounds, smoking staff, visitors and even patients routinely make their way out to the roadside to feed their addiction.

It’s a long walk, especially for this time of year in the rain and the wind; much farther than would be necessary to protect others from secondhand smoke. Of course, that’s not the idea. What it’s really about is sending a clear message that smoking is wrong.

On one hand, it is sad to see some are so addicted they cannot go without a puff, even when the price is a hike in the cold (along with the usual lung cancer and so forth). On the other, it is regrettable to see them so ostracised. Can we not have a little sympathy for the poor smoker?

Many of us may soon gain some empathy at least as the public health activists turn their attention to other evils. Those who like to indulge in the occasional soft drink, chocolate bar or bag of Twisties might not have to partake offsite, but we will find them harder to come by at our local hospitals.

Last week, Queensland’s health minister was crowing how his state is leading the way in tackling the obesity crisis by such measures as banning sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks from hospitals. The Australian Medical Association wants Tasmania to follow suit. Our government shrugged it off, but, given it’s a policy of the Labor Party, it’s almost inevitable.

What’s just as certain is these bans will achieve little more than making a few people feel good about themselves; allowing politicians to boast that they’re taking action. They are further evidence of the growing Nanny State – of our leaders seeking to change our behaviour for our own good, irrespective of what we might think.

Some will say it is fitting for our hospitals to set an example, but where’s the consideration for the consumer? Is it really so bad if you feel like a Coke or a Cherry Ripe while sitting in a hospital waiting room?

The bottom-line with obesity is it all comes down to personal and parental responsibility. Adults are responsible for their own diets and exercise, or lack thereof, and parents are responsible for their children.